The present invention relates to a plasma display apparatus (PDP apparatus). More particularly, the present invention relates to a plasma display apparatus using a new method and having a fourth electrode that is exposed into a discharge space extending in the same direction of that of plural first and second electrodes.
The plasma display panel has good visibility because it generates its own light, is thin and can be made with a large-screen and high-speed display. Therefore, it is attracting interest as a replacement for a CRT display. In a general PDP apparatus, n X electrodes and n Y electrodes are arranged adjacently by turns to form n pairs of X electrodes and Y electrodes, and m address electrodes are arranged in a direction perpendicular to that of the X electrodes and the Y electrodes. After a reset action, in which the entire surface is put into the same state, is carried out, a scanning pulse is applied to the Y electrode. In synchronization with the application of the scanning pulse, a signal (data signal) indicating whether to light or not is applied to the Y electrode, a display cell that is made to emit light is selected in a way that a display cell is set to a status according to the display data, and charges needed for the subsequent sustaining discharge are accumulated onto the dielectric layer on the electrode. The above-mentioned action is carried out while a scanning pulse is being applied sequentially to the Y electrode, and all the display cells on the entire surface of the screen are set to a state corresponding to the display data. This is the address action. In this state, a sustaining pulse is applied between the X electrode and the Y electrode. While a display cell, on the surface of which charges (called wall charge) are accumulated in the address action, discharges and emits light because the voltage due to these charges is superposed on the sustaining pulse, a display cell, on the surface of which no charge is accumulated, does not emit light even though the sustaining pulse is applied because the threshold of discharge is not reached. This action is called the sustain action and the discharge caused to occur by this action is called the sustaining discharge, which has a relation to the light emission for display. The display is established by repeating the above-mentioned action. The X electrodes and Y electrodes are called the display electrodes.
In the PDP apparatus of a normal type mentioned above, light is emitted for display between the X electrode and the Y electrode of each pair, therefore, n pairs of the X electrode and the Y electrode are necessary to form n display lines. In other words, 2n display electrodes (Y electrode and X electrode) are necessary to form n display lines.
On the other hand, a plasma display apparatus of the Alternate Lighting of Surface (referred to as ALIS hereinafter) method has been disclosed, in which light is emitted for display between every display electrode, in EP 0 762 373 A2. Because the detailed structure of the ALIS method has been disclosed in this Patent, no detailed explanation is provided here.